What Schlenk does

Schlenk (legal entity SCHLENK SE, formerly Carl Schlenk AG) is a privately held, family-owned German specialty materials manufacturer founded in 1879 in Roth-Barnsdorf and currently in its fourth generation of family leadership under CEO Joachim von Schlenk-Barnsdorf. The company operates three core product platforms — effect pigments, metal powders, and metal foils — using proprietary processes including wet milling of atomized aluminum, vacuum metallization (Decomet®, since 1994), ultra-thin pigment technology (Zenexo®), and high-precision rolling of copper, nickel and silver alloys down to 6 µm. It serves industrial B2B customers in over 100 countries across automotive coatings (OEM and refinish), industrial coatings, printing inks, plastics, cosmetics, powder metallurgy, construction materials, chemicals, batteries, photovoltaics and power electronics.

The company's go-to-market is direct enterprise sales through Area Sales Managers and local representatives, supported by wholly-owned production and sales entities in Germany, the USA, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Italy. Pricing is quote-based and negotiated, typically under multi-year contracts, with no public price list. Schlenk's competitive position rests on patented technologies (Zenexo®, LHS), a deep portfolio of registered brands (Decomet®, Zenexo®, Metaprint®, Rogal®, Cubrotec®, MultiFlect®, AluStar®, Alumer®, AluMotion®, HTA), 145 years of accumulated process know-how, and ISO 9001/14001/50001 certifications across multiple sites.

Recent strategic emphasis is on advanced battery materials (HTA high-tensile copper foils, 10 µm Al-Cu roll-clad foils for bipolar/SSB batteries, battery tab ribbons), photovoltaic connectors (LHS), and a new entry into power electronics via CuNex copper sinter paste developed in partnership with CuNex GmbH (THI Ingolstadt). The Metal Foils Business Unit (~120 employees) was reorganized with management relocated from Barnsdorf to Bernlohe, and a new Managing Director was hired from Heraeus's solar pastes unit, signaling a deliberate push into energy-related specialty foils.

Name

Schlenk

Legal name

SCHLENK SE

Website

https://de.schlenk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1879

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Schlenk is a German, family-owned specialty materials manufacturer founded in 1879 producing metallic effect pigments, metal powders, and metal foils for industrial B2B customers across automotive coatings, printing, plastics, cosmetics, battery, solar, and chemical sectors in over 100 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Metallic Pigments and Metal Materials

NAICS

Synthetic Dye and Pigment Manufacturing (32513)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851)

akta.pro primary industry

Pigments & Dyes (IMAEAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Automotive & Transportation Coatings (IMAEAGAC), Industrial & Protective Coatings (IMAEAGAB), Electroplating & Metallization Chemicals (Cu/Ni/Au plating, additives) (IMAEAKAK)

Keywords

• Metal effect pigments
• Metallic foils production
• Metal powder manufacturing
• Battery foil materials
• Photovoltaic cell connectors

Headquarters

HQ city

Roth

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Effect Pigments: Production and sale of metallic effect pigments for coatings, printing inks, plastics, and cosmetics. Includes aluminum pigments, gold bronze pigments, vacuum metallized pigments, and interference pigments.
2. Metal Powders: Technical aluminum, copper and copper alloy powders sold under brand names Rogal® and Cubrotec® for powder metallurgy, sintering technology, and chemical industry applications.
3. Metal Foils and Bands: Thinnest foils made from copper, copper alloys, nickel, nickel silver, resistance alloys, and fine silver for electronics, battery, solar, and industrial applications.
4. Battery Materials: Rolled anode foils, high-tensile anode foils, battery connectors (tab ribbons), and roll-clad foils for lithium-ion batteries and bipolar batteries in the growing battery market.
5. Solar Industry Products: Tinned ribbons and LHS (Light Harvesting String) connectors for crystalline and thin-film solar modules, serving the photovoltaic industry for over 25 years.
6. Press-Ready Inks: Ready-to-use metallic printing inks under the Metaprint® brand name, available in solution-based and water-based variants for printing industry applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SCHLENK manufactures metallic effect pigments (aluminum, gold bronze, vacuum metallized and interference pigments), atomized technical metal powders (aluminum, copper and copper alloy powders), and ultra-thin metal foils and strips (copper, copper alloys, nickel, nickel silver, resistance alloys, fine silver). These materials are produced for industrial customers across automotive coatings, printing inks, plastics, cosmetics, construction materials, chemical, powder metallurgy, battery, and photovoltaic applications.

Product overview

SCHLENK is an international leading manufacturer of effect pigments, metal powders, and metal foils serving diverse industrial applications. The product portfolio consists of three core product lines: (1) Effect and metal pigments including aluminum pigments, metallic pigments, gold bronze pigments, vacuum metallized pigments (Decomet®), and branded variants such as Zenexo® GoldenShine, MultiFlect®, AluStar®, Alumer®, and AluMotion®; (2) Metal powders and pastes including aluminum powder/paste and branded copper alloy powders (Rogal®, Cubrotec®); and (3) Metal foils including copper and copper alloy foils for battery industry applications. The battery industry segment offers rolled anode foils, high-tensile anode foils, roll-clad foils for bipolar batteries, and battery tab ribbons. The solar industry provides LHS (Light Harvesting String) cell connectors and photovoltaic ribbons. The power electronics segment includes CuNex copper sintering paste. Additional product categories serve printing inks (Metaprint®), cosmetics, construction materials (aerated concrete), chemical industry, and material technology applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Decomet®: Vacuum metallized pigments brand offered since 1994, providing thin pigments with excellent hiding power and mirror/chrome-like effects
• Zenexo®
• MultiFlect®
• AluStar®
• AluMotion®
• Alumer®
• Rogal®
• Cubrotec®
• LHS (Light Harvesting String)
• LHS SELECT
• CuNex
• Metaprint®
• HTA (High Tensile Alloy)

Products and services

• Effect Pigments (Effektpigmente) Brilliant metallic, interference, and holographic effect pigments available in paste, powder, and pellet (granulate) forms for industrial coatings, plastics, cosmetics, and printing applications.
• Metal Powders (Metallpulver) — Rogal® and Cubrotec® Atomized copper and copper alloy powders sold under Rogal® and Cubrotec® brand names for powder metallurgy, sintering technology, bearing materials, friction and brake pads, contact materials, PTFE composites, and technical plastics.
• Aluminum Pigments and Pastes (Aluminiumpigmente / Aluminiumpaste) Aluminum pigments produced from atomized aluminum powder via wet milling, available in Leafing and Non-Leafing variants for paints, coatings, plastics, printing inks, and aerated concrete applications.
• Gold Bronze Pigments (Goldbronzepigmente) Gold bronze pigments used to enhance quality and value of packaging, labels, print advertising, wallpapers, decorative coatings, powder coatings, plastic coatings, and aerosol spray paints.
• Decomet® Vacuum Metallized Pigments Vacuum metallized pigments featuring a relatively thin structure with excellent hiding power and mirror-like or chrome-like effects for coating and printing industries.
• Zenexo® Colored Aluminium Effect Pigments Patented colored aluminum effect pigments based on ultra-thin aluminum flakes offering superb hiding power, exceptional color flop, best color saturation, and safe application/transport/storage.
• MultiFlect® Wave150 Polychromatic Effect Pigments Polychromatic effect pigments delivering rainbow-like effects with exceptional brilliance and sparkle and an elegant, non-kitsch appearance in coating and plastic applications.
• AluStar® Ultra-Treated Metallics (UTM) Ultra-treated aluminum metallic pigments produced with refined SCHLENK milling technology delivering extremely high quality levels for coating applications.
• Metaprint® Press-Ready Metallic Printing Inks Ready-to-use metallic printing inks available in solution-based and water-based variants meeting high quality requirements and stringent regulatory standards for food packaging and tobacco.
• Metal Foils (Metallfolien) Ultra-thin metal foils and strips produced from copper, copper alloys, nickel, nickel silver, resistance alloys, and fine silver for electronics, battery, solar, and industrial applications.
• Battery Tab Ribbons (Batterieverbinder / Walzfolien) Rolled metal strips used as tab connectors in Li-ion batteries, available in copper, pure silver, nickel, and alloys, with roll-hard or annealed conditions and plain or tin/aluminum/silver-coated surfaces, with tightest tolerances and excellent surface quality.
• Rolled Anode Foils (Gewalzte Anodenfolien) High-purity rolled copper, nickel, and pure silver (RA) foils for batteries offering superior conductivity for high-power electrical applications and symmetrical smooth surface on both sides.
• HTA High-Tensile Copper Foils (Hochfeste Anodenfolien) Ultra-thin rolled copper foils from high-strength alloys with Rm beyond 600 N/mm² and conductivity up to 86% IACS, rolled down to 6 µm, for advanced batteries including silicon-based and solid-state applications.
• Roll-Clad Aluminum-Copper Foils for Bipolar Batteries (Walzplattierte Folien) Roll-clad aluminum-copper composite foils combining high copper conductivity with low aluminum specific weight, available in thicknesses down to 10 µm, for bipolar electrodes in energy storage and solid-state batteries.
• LHS (Light Harvesting String) Solar Cell Connectors Photovoltaic cell connectors featuring precisely structured silver surface enabling Total Internal Reflection (TIR) to reflect incident light back to the cell, allowing up to 90% of shaded area to generate power and improving module power by up to 3%.
• CuNex Copper Sinter Paste (Cuprum series) Copper sintering paste (Cuprum series) developed in collaboration with CuNex for advanced power electronics interconnection applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 3% module power increase with LHS connectors
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CuNex GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCHLENK partnered with CuNex, a spin-off from the Technical University of Ingolstadt (THI), to jointly develop and bring to market the 'Cuprum' series - the world's first copper sinter paste developed and manufactured in Germany. This collaboration combines SCHLENK's foil manufacturing expertise with CuNex's sinter paste technology for power electronics applications.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Eckart (ALTANA division): Eckart, owned by specialty chemicals group ALTANA, is the closest direct competitor to Schlenk in metallic effect pigments for automotive, industrial coatings, and printing inks, with overlapping product families and the same OEM customer base.
• Toyo Aluminium K.K. (Toyal): Toyo Aluminium is a leading Japanese producer of aluminum pigments, pastes, and powders for coatings, printing inks, and plastics — directly competing with Schlenk's AluStar®, Alumer®, and Decomet® lines in similar end markets.
• Silberline Manufacturing Co. Silberline is a US-based specialty producer of aluminum effect pigments and metallic flakes for coatings, plastics, and printing inks, serving overlapping automotive, industrial coatings, and masterbatch customers as Schlenk.
• Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. Furukawa Electric is a major Japanese manufacturer of rolled copper foils for lithium-ion batteries, including high-tensile and ultra-thin variants, directly competing with Schlenk's HTA and roll-clad foil portfolio in EV and energy-storage applications.
• SK Nexilis Co., Ltd. SK Nexilis (formerly SKC Kolon PI's copper-foil business) is one of the world's largest producers of electrodeposited copper foil for lithium-ion batteries, competing head-on with Schlenk's rolled anode foils in the same battery-cell customer base.
• JX Advanced Metals Corporation: JX Advanced Metals (JXNMM) is a major Japanese producer of rolled and electrodeposited copper foils for batteries, electronics, and industrial use, with overlapping high-tensile and ultra-thin foil offerings versus Schlenk's Metallfolien BU.
• Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., Ltd. Mitsui Mining & Smelting produces high-end copper foils (including MicroThin™) for batteries and electronics, directly comparable to Schlenk's high-tensile and roll-clad foils for next-generation cell designs.

Broad incumbents

• Sun Chemical (DIC Corporation): Sun Chemical, part of Japan's DIC, is a global pigments and printing-ink incumbent whose metallic pigments portfolio competes with Schlenk's Metaprint® and gold-bronze pigments, especially in packaging and graphic-arts applications.
• BASF SE: BASF is a global chemical major with a broad effect-pigment and coatings-additives portfolio; while not specialized in metallic pigments, it competes in industrial and automotive coatings colorants and has materially greater scale and R&D resources.

Emerging players

• Carl Schlenk — sibling/competing pigment houses (e.g., Benda-Lutz, Geotech): Benda-Lutz is a European producer of metallic effect pigments (aluminum, bronze, zinc flakes) for coatings, inks, and masterbatches, with partial overlap to Schlenk's portfolio but a more regional focus and narrower product breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SCHLENKchannel
• Facebookfacebook.com/CarlSchlenkAG
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carlschlenkag
• Instagraminstagram.com/schlenk_

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Schlenk